Paolo Savoldelli


Paolo Savoldelli is a former Italian road racing cyclist and winner of the 2002 and 2005 Giro d'Italia.
Savoldelli was a climber but known for his fast downhill riding. He is nicknamed Il Falco. His downhill skills won him the 2005 Giro. His descent of the Colle delle Finestre before the final ascent to Sestriere in the penultimate stage, closed a gap to Gilberto Simoni, preserving his lead and giving him the win.
On 20 July 2005, Savoldelli won the 17th stage of the Tour de France. He led in the 2007 Giro d'Italia, but worked for teammate Eddy Mazzoleni.
Savoldelli retired from competitive professional cycling at the end of the 2008 season. He did not leave the cycling world however, as he embarked on a career covering the sport in the media.
As of 2012, Savoldelli worked for the Italian television channel RAI, providing viewers with commentary on cycling races. He comments from a motorbike, offering insights from a first-hand point of view. He concludes each of his interventions with an emphatic "A Voi!", which became his trademark.
Despite having already retired, in May 2014 Savoldelli was banned from bicycle racing for six months for being a client of the infamous doping doctor, Michele Ferrari. Later his name was tied to evidence in the 2012 USADA Report as "Rider 1," and he is said to have set up and used EPO doping in the 2006 Giro d'Italia.

Career achievements

Major results

;1996
;1997
;1998
;1999
;2000
;2001
;2002
;2004
;2005
;2006
;2007
;2008

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour1996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008
Giro d'Italia—139224141——151215
Tour de France33——DNF41————25DNF——
Vuelta a España——DNF——DNFDNF——————

—Did not compete
DNFDid not finish

DNF = Did not finish